


Hit me with your best shot! (or: Rin takes an unusual self-defence course)

by just_an_aussie_otaku



Series: Exwire Shenanigans [2]
Category: Ao no Exorcist | Blue Exorcist
Genre: A little bit of angst managed to worm its way in here, Fluff, Gen, I love my son, Karate, Okumura Rin is a blessing, Play Fighting, Rating is for the bad language, Shura is a little shit, This is entirely self-indulgent lmao, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-27
Updated: 2019-04-27
Packaged: 2020-02-07 12:55:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18621058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/just_an_aussie_otaku/pseuds/just_an_aussie_otaku
Summary: Rin fights almost exclusively with Kurikara, which becomes quite the problem when he finds himself separated from his trusty sword, or unable to use his demonic flames.Shura intervenes - Rin hates his life (he doesn't.)Blue Exorcist is © Katō Kazue





	Hit me with your best shot! (or: Rin takes an unusual self-defence course)

**Author's Note:**

> Posting this using an iPad graciously loaned to me by my mother for the time being (while I search for a new laptop). Thank God for Google Drive/Google Sync. 
> 
> I personally find it kind of stupid that someone like Rin doesn’t know self-defence basics, considering his tendency to rush into battles, (half of which he hadn’t even been able to use Kurikara in,) so I’m here to rectify that. 
> 
> Most of the techniques used are things I remember from Karate class, as well as general rules of thumb in self-defence.

**_9:00 a.m., Saturday, True Cross Academy._ **

 

Rin doesn’t like the look in Shura’s eyes when he opens the door to the empty gymnasium.  That mischievous glint – that’s never a good sign, let alone when it’s paired with that playful smirk plastered on her face. Rin internally cringed, a billion scenarios running through his head.

He was dressed plainly and comfortably – grey tank top, black sweatpants, school-issued trainers - and had left Kurikara by the door, as per her request. 

Rin hadn’t used this gymnasium much, aside from a few P.E lessons in which his class couldn't use the main gym. It was spacious and well lit, with high ceilings and arched windows. Rin shoved away the memories of the monastery he grew up in, instead, he turned to look at Shura. 

“So, you’re finally here, eh?” The woman calls from the centre of the room. She folds her arms over her sizeable bosom and shifts her weight onto her left leg. She was as scantily-clad as usual, pale blue shorts that barely brushed her mid-thighs, and a dark sports bra.

“I’ve been waitin' for ya for nearly twenty minutes, Rin.”

“That’s because you only called me _twenty minutes ago!_ I was in my room on the other side of campus!” He fires back, making his way over to her.

“Well, walk faster, kiddo! We’ve got things to do!” 

Rin scoffs, taking another few steps forward, “like what?”

Suddenly, and unexpectedly, she lunges at him. Rin instinctively reaches for Kurikara, only to remember that he’d left it by the door, which was now utterlyout of reach. _Shit._

He raises his arms vertically and crosses them in an ‘X’ shape to act as a block. But Shura had launched at him with all her weight, and Rin didn't stand a chance with his meagre technique. He collapsed to the hard-wood floor. 

“Shura! What the hell?!”

Rin is on his back, and he sees Shura lift her leg – as if to crush his head beneath her bare foot.

“I’m testin' your hand-to-hand combat skills, obviously!”

Rin has to roll to his right to dodge Shura’s foot, which would have surely caved in his skull.

“And why the hell do you need to do that?! I have Kurikara for a reason!” He shouts, springing to his feet. 

Suddenly, a great pressure – which soon morphs into pain – erupts on his sternum, and Rin stumbles backwards. She’d kicked him in the chest! What the hell?! Though he doesn’t initially lose his footing, the shock of the impact makes him lose his balance and fall back onto the ground.

Shura stands smugly above him, hand on her hip, chest puffed out in pride.

“Damn, kid, you’re even worse than I thought. You’ve got some basic dodging down, though – we can work with that.” She extends a hand, which Rin takes.

“I wasn’t expecting a fight!” He retorts as he’s hauled off the floor.

“The enemy won't give you a warning, Rin. Least of all the other demons you’ll run into. You need to be prepared at all times. That’s the reality of being an exorcist,” she finishes, adjusting the waist of her shorts.

Rin, loathe as he may be to admit it, knows she’s absolutely right. He nods in acknowledgement, rolling his shoulders.

“So, what, you’re gonna teach me how to fight?”

“Yep.” She pops the ‘p’. Then, she lowers into an attack stance – or what Rin thinks is an attack stance – knees bent, back straight, shoulders squared. “Let’s see how much of a lost cause you really are.”

Rin’s eye twitched in annoyance, but decides to dwell on his indignation silently.

Shura raises her arms vertically, crosses them in an “x” shape, and balls her fists. “This is the basic block you used when I charged at you. It’s a good start, but your version is still weak. Try this one instead.” She uncrosses her arms, and arranges them so her elbows are pointed directly dowanwards, and her fists are balled in front of her face. Her elbows stick out a bit, almost creating an upside-down V shape, but her knuckles don't touch.

“Crossing your arms just makes it easier for your opponent to use ‘em against you. If they strike your arms, you could punch yourself in the face – trust me, it happens a way more often than you’d think. You need to tense your arms, as well – lock ‘em in place, and make sure that they cover your neck and most of your head. Y’know, the important stuff,” she adds with a chuckle. 

He mimics Shura’s stance and arranges his arms in the same fashion.

“Good. The idea is to protect your centre mass, neck and head. However, a block like this leaves your lower abdomen, legs and groin exposed.”

She drops her body further, not quite into a squat, and shifts her right leg back just a fraction. “If you drop your centre of gravity, it’ll help ya keep balanced when you’re trying to stop punches and kicks. It also turns your knees and thighs into a semi-barrier. If you stand upright, however,” she emphasis her point by doing just that, “you have a lot less balance, and are vastly more likely to get your ass beat.”

Rin nods. He tries to mirror her lowered stance – knees apart, legs bent. It’s quite uncomfortable. 

Shura circles him, inspecting his form.

“Straighten your back, and don’t lean too far forward. Now make sure your knees are about as far apart as your shoulders. Your toes should be pointed outwards, with your feet at roughly 45 degree angles.”

Rin nods and does is best to follow her instructions, even though he feels completely stupid.

“What’s your dominant leg?”

“Uh, what?”

“You heard me – what leg do you use for kickin’ and balance and stuff?”

“My right, I guess?”

“Al- _right_ , then” she chuckles at her dumb pun, and Rin rolls his eyes. “You’ll want to shift your right leg back a few centimetres – yeah, just like that – so that they’re diagonal. Bend your leg just a little, too, so more of your weight rests on your right leg as opposed to your left. Keep your torso facing straight, though.”

Rin did as he was told, despite the dizzying amount of instructions. “I feel really uncomfortable.”

“Yeah, you will at first, but it’s all for balance.”

“Right – can’t kick ass if I can't stand upright, I guess.”

“Now you’re gettin’ it!” She claps him on the shoulders, which makes him lean a tad too far forward. He scrambles to stand upright, flailing his arms around like an octopus caught out of the water.

Shura laughs good-naturedly. “Trust me, I know it’s an uncomfortable stance to be in for a while – especially if you’re not used to it - but making sure you can recreate this stance at any time is vital to a good defence.”

Rin nods again. He rather feels like a bobble-head; with all the nodding he’s been doing this afternoon.

Shura chuckles – Rin’s convinced that woman can read minds. “You’ll feel like a total idiot for a while, since you’re not used to the stance, and your leg and core muscles will be screaming at you for mercy, but after a bit of training it’ll become second nature.”

Rin gulps. He doesn’t like the sound of that at all.

Despite his hesitance, he nods. He’d dense, but not a total idiot – he knows he only wins most of his fights through sheer force of will, or luck. It’s never been because he is physically superior, or he knows how to fight.

Maybe if he learns how to defend himself, he might stand more of a fighting chance against his enemies. Bringing him one step closer to becoming a full-fledged exorcist. Bringing him one step closer to taking down the biggest enemy of them all, dear old Dad, Lord of Gehenna, Satan himself.

Rin grins just thinking about it, and prepares himself for the hell that is to follow.

 

* * *

 

**_6:00 p.m. that evening, True Cross Academy._ **

 

“Rin?” He hears a book close and bedsheets ruffle. “Where have you been all day?”

Rin ignores Yukio’s question in favour of flopping face-down onto his bed. He doesn't bother taking off his shoes. The subtle bounce of the mattress is a welcome change from the solid and unforgiving floor of the gym. 

“What in the world happened to you? Did you get into a fight?”

“Kind of-”

_“-Rin!”_

“It was a training match with Shura!” He yells, voice muffled by the pillow. His calves had started to ache, now that he wasn’t using them anymore. His glutes, too, which was just _fantastic_.

“A training match? What do you mean? You _sparred_ with her?”

“Mhm,” he mumbles, and draws in a deep breath. “But not with Kurikara. It was hand-to-hand training. Can I go to sleep now? _All_ of my muscles hurt.”

He hears Yukio chuckle behind him - smug bastard.

“I imagine they would, after fighting with Miss Kirigakure. Go ahead and take a nap, Rin. I’ll wake you up at 7:30 for dinner. I’ll make sure to ask for some Magnesium tablets from the nurse’s office, too.”

“Mhm… Thanks…”

 

* * *

 

**_Monday; 5:00 p.m._ **

 

Throughout the next month – _including_ Saturdays - Rin was to visit Shura in the gym for two hours every afternoon, working on his stances, blocks and dodges. She also emphasised stretching – to get him used to using muscles he normally wouldn’t.

She was right in her initial assumption – as per usual – just two days in to his training, his leg muscles felt like they were going to shatter, especially his calves and whatever the hell the muscles just below his groin were called.

Rin wasn’t unfit by any means, but, man, if this is what he’s like after just two days of defence training, he needs to get his shit together, _fast_.

Shura made sure he’d brought along a water bottle and a towel this time, and made him warm up for ten minutes before they got started. Rin had also decided that shorts were a much better option than pants, because _damn_ he sweats a lot during these training sessions.

After doing two sets of squats and a set of jumping jacks, he felt much less awkward resuming his defence stance when Shura asked.

“Gotta work on your flexibility, kid – especially in your legs. Make sure not to slack off on stretching your muscles every morning. It’ll certainly help in demon-fighting, but I’d wager it’ll help ya out in P.E, too.”

He nods, rolling his shoulders and straightening his back. He assumes his defence position – even though his hamstrings and glutes were killing him – and raises his arms in the way he’d been taught.

Shura grins. “You’ve learned well, Rin. Keep this up and you might just move from completely hopeless to below average.”

Even though the compliment was backhanded, it was genuine. Somehow. Shura was a really confusing person. 

“Right, let’s do some more stretches. Sit down with your legs in front of you.”

Rin raises an eyebrow but obliges. 

“Okay, now point your toes to the ceiling and sit with a straight back.”

He does as he’s told, and immediately the muscles around his ankles and his calves feel weird. Not painful, but the position doesn't feel natural at all. 

“Okay, do you think you can reach forward and touch your toes for me?”

“Probably…”

He tries, but only manages to touch the tips of his toes with the tips of his fingers. The backs of his legs and his glutes already feel like they’re on fire. He quickly resumes an upright position.

“Just as I thought – you don’t do a lot of leg workouts, do ya? Can’t very well learn martial arts if your muscles are this stiff. It’s cool though - flexibility is fairly easy to work on if ya chip away at it. Do that five more times, for ten seconds each, and see if you get any better. It's a pretty basic stretch, but effective.”

Rin nods.

“Also, straighten your back. Hunching your back just makes your legs easier to reach – you wanna challenge yourself as much as you can, Rin.”

“Okay. Anything else?”

“Nope, you’re good; go ahead. I’ve gotta go make a quick phone call, so I’ll be back in a bit.” 

As Shura leaves the gym, Rin begins his stretches. Shura’s phone call as shorter than expected, and she ends up returning during Rin’s third set. By then, the discomfort in his legs had shifted from “my legs are about to fall off at the hips” to “mildly sore”. He completes the stretch a fourth time, and when he’s done, he crosses his legs and looks to Shura for instructions.

“Legs feel like they’re gonna fall off?”

“Not anymore, but they probably will tomorrow morning.”

“Ha! That means you’re doing it right.”

There were a few moments of insufferable silence, with Rin sitting on the floor awkwardly while Shura grumbled to herself. 

“What was the phone call about?” He finally asks her.

Shura clicks her tongue in annoyance. “Big dogs want me to consult on a job way up in Akita.” She scoffs, “screw that.”

Rin had never been to Akita; he'd sure like to visit some time. Exorcising some demons - or even being indirectly involved in an exorcism - in the northern city would be awesome. A two-in-one! Do an exorcism, and do some sight-seeing in the same trip!

Then, Rin reminded himself that he would probably not be allowed anywhere outside of True Cross' immediate boundaries anytime soon, considering he was simply an exwire, and, oh yeah,  _the son of Satan himself._ Kinda made taking a vacation day a bit difficult. 

Shura was a good fit - she was strong, could more than hold her own in a fight, had quite the arsenal of weapons up her sleeve - or, in her chest? How did that thing work again? - and had years of experience under her belt (when she chose to wear one. Wait, no, that's not how expressions work...) Rin had only his flames and his basic knowledge of sword fighting. 

Shura huffed, drawing Rin's attention. The woman's raised eyebrow and folded arms usually indicated smugness, but the look on Shura's face was far from it. It was.. Understanding. Warm, even. 

“You’re angry, aren’t you?”

Rin freezes.  

“You’re angry at the fact that you’re just an exwire, and not an exorcist. Angry that Yukio is always the one doing the fighting - the protecting, the exorcisms. Angry that you’re still not strong enough to take out your enemies. Nail this basic stuff, and maybe you can finally prove to Yukio that you are worthy to be an exorcist. Worthy to be _alive_. That’s your thinking, isn't it, kid?” 

Rin averts his eyes and nods. “You some kind of mind-reader or somethin’?”

“Nope, just very observational. Also, you’re not very subtle about it, kid.” 

She extends a hand, and Rin takes it. It feels weird to be on his feet after doing those stretches, but thankfully not painful.

Shura looks him in the eyes. “You’re angry? Good. Keep that anger. Don't let it consume you, but don't extinguish it. You power comes from your determination – your emotion. It drives you. We’ll train you up and kick some major ass together, eh?”

Rin grins. He steels himself for another hour of Hell.

 

* * *

 

**_8:50 a.m. Wednesday, True Cross Academy_ **

 

“Okumura? Are you alright this morning?” His English teacher asks. “You seem pale, are you ill?”

Rin panicked momentarily, thinking that he’d fallen asleep in class, but he’d just zoned for a second. He straightens his back, rolls his shoulders, and looks up to the man standing next to his desk. “No, sensei, I’m just tired. Took up a martial arts class – didn't expect it to tire me out so much,” he chuckles.

The man nods and smiles. “Finally getting involved in some extracurricular, are we? Who's your instructor?”

“Uh, Kirigakure-sensei.”

“Ah, yes, she’s quite the formidable teacher. Well, if tiredness is your only affliction, that means you’re well enough to start the lesson off by reading a paragraph from the worksheet on your desk.”

Rin sighs quietly - of course the teacher would choose _him_ \- and stands, reading out the paragraph in heavily-accented English. Thank God he’d remembered to bring along the notes Shiemi had helped him make the other day. 

One of the boys in the row in front of him turns around and sends him an encouraging smile and a thumbs-up.

Rin nods back awkwardly. He’s not used to his classmates being so _genuine_.

 

* * *

 

**_4:00 p.m. that evening._ **

 

“You’re familiar with planking, yeah?”

Rin groans, mood immediately souring. “I _hate_ doing planks.”

Shura chuckles. “So do I, but ya gotta keep develop your arm and core muscles somehow, right? Go on, we’ll continue warm ups with doing some planks. You should start incorporate sit-ups into your morning routine as well as leg exercises. Core muscles matter a lot in combat.”

Rin assumes a planking position, and once Shura had corrected the curve of his back, they stay in that same position for about five minutes before Rin finally collapses. “I genuinely don't know if I can move my arms," he wheezes. 

Shura just cackles.

“That’s fine, start doing some sit-ups, you can rest your arms. I’ll weight your feet down. When we’re done we’ll move on to star-jumps, and after that, I’ll teach you how to execute a roll-block, since your initial attempt wasn’t too bad.”

Rin rolled onto his back, despite the prickling pain in his biceps.

“Okay, fifteen sit-ups, go!”

 

* * *

 

**_Friday, 4:30 p.m._ **

 

Rin’s knee buckles and he crumbles to the ground, barely catching himself before his face became acquainted with the floor. 

“The knees are an easy, and often the best, target, Rin! Cripple the legs, and your opponent can’t get away! Gotta work on your balance, kiddo.”

Rin grumbled under his breath, rising to his feet. He bent his left knee – the one that she’d kicked - a few times in the air before resuming his defence stance.

“You’re getting’ good at that, Rin. Keep it up and you might just become a force to be reckoned with.” She flashes him her pearly-white teeth in a wicked grin, and assumes a stance of her own.

“Now I’ve shown ya how to do it, try and replicate it.”

Rin inhaled, then exhaled. "Okay."

 

* * *

 

**_Wednesday, 7:45 a.m._ **

 

It’s now been eleven days since Shura began training him, and Rin can already see the improvement.

As Rin waited for his school shirt to get out of the dryer - Kuro had spilt a glass of juice on him, and he’d had to quickly clean and dry his shirt – he decided now was as good a time as any to do some stretches. Shura did say not to slack off, and she’d know if he did.

He starts by sitting down on the ground and extending his legs in front of him, knees unbent and feet pressed together. He reaches forward and touches his toes. By now, the tips of his fingers can touch the balls of his feet. It’s difficult not to bend his back – feels quite unnatural not to, in fact – but he manages to keep it mostly straight.

This stretches his hamstrings (the only leg muscle he could remember the name of) pretty effectively. After doing it so often, his muscles have become accustomed to being stretched like that, and there is no pain, and only minimal discomfort. After he’s done that three times, he stands up and rolls his shoulders.

He’d been told that good posture makes for good fighting, so Rin was making a conscious effort to stand up straight. It was annoying as all hell and downright uncomfortable at times, but, hey, if it can give him an edge against a demon? He'd suffer it.

He lifts his left leg and bends it at the knee, reaches his hand back and grabs his ankle, pulling up upwards. This one stretches his front thigh muscles and worked pretty damn well. He’s done it so many times – morning and night – that he can touch the back of his head with his toes. He does that twice more and then switches to the other leg.

The dryer hadn’t finished yet, but it’s now 7:55, and Rin needs to get his shit together to get to school on time.

He stops the dryer, opens the door and takes his short out. It was warm and mostly dry, so Rin quickly slips it on and buttons it.

When he turns to exit the laundry, he sees Yukio standing in the doorway, a baffled expression on his face. 

“Did you – Rin, did you just touch your head with your _toes?”_

“Uh, yeah? Part of my training with Shura. Flexibility is important, apparently. What are you doing here? I thought you’d left already.”

“Uh, I had to polish my shoes – they’d gotten scuffed,” he holds up the bottle of shoe black polish.

“Polishing shoes is a bitch to do. Also, we need to hurry up unless we wanna be late.”

Yukio checks his watch to confirm and is noticeably alarmed. “Oh, crap. Let’s go, Rin!”

 

* * *

 

**_3:50 p.m., that afternoon._ **

 

Rin has his hands folded behind his neck, fingers laced together, as he makes his way towards the gym, which was very unhelpfully separated from the main campus.

He hears a group of students start whispering as he passes them, and he rolls his eyes. Apparently half of his year group thought he was a delinquent - _(Bad grades don’t equal violence, people!)_ – so he wasn't surprised. 

“Rin, think fast!”

Rin sidesteps and twists around, immediately dropping his weight and raising his arms to shield himself. Just in time, too, because Shura’s shin comes flying towards his arms. His block seemed to work, and Rin only stumbles back a step instead of falling on his ass this time. He assumes his stance yet again, certain she'd strike again, but Shura didn't rataliate. The woman was just standing there laughing. 

“Nice, block, Rin!”

Shura grins at him, hands on her hips. She’s wearing a black sports bra and grey and pink yoga pants today. That woman sure loves her pink.

“What the hell was that?”

“A reaction test! You did great!” 

Suddenly, Rin finds the side of his head pressed against her chest as she wraps him in a headlock and ruffles his hair. 

“Oi, what’s your deal, Shura!?”

She dramatically sniffles, miming wiping away a tear. “I’m so proud of ya, Rin! You must have some kinda natural aptitude to progress this far so fast!”

“Can ya let me go? I can't bloody breathe, here, woman!”

Shura ignores him in favour of ruffling his hair even further. That’s gonna be a bitch to brush.

Rin notices that the group of students on the bench are staring at them – or rather, at Shura. Maybe it wasn't him they were whispering about, after all. That'd be a pleasant first. 

“You’ve earned yourself a day off, kiddo. I’m so _damn_ proud of ya.”

“Why are you so proud of me? Am I _that_ bad at everything?”

“Not bad, just not good. ‘sides, I think I’m just proud ‘cause you’re kinda like the nephew I never had, ya know?”

Rin feels a warmth grow in his chest.

“Oi, don't get sappy on me now, you hardass.”

Shura cackles, and then releases him from her death grip. Which was good, because Rin was starting to get a little dizzy. 

“Enjoy your day off. Meet ya in the gym tomorrow. We'll do some _real_ fightin’ then. Think ya can handle it?”

Rin grins. “Hit me with your best shot, Shura!"

**Author's Note:**

> While writing this, I was very much reminded of the latter portion of Haikyuu’s third season (when everyone on both teams feels like they’re going to collapse, but push on anyway.) 
> 
> I listened to ( [this](https://youtu.be/mdH1OOk6Mbw) ) wonderful soundtrack from Haikyuu, and ( [this one](https://youtu.be/8NbPnIXg5Cc) ) from Psycho-Pass while editing, which you should totally check out!


End file.
